/hugs stack of books.

So many books i want to read, so much spare-time programming i want to do.

Things I want look into:
--Visual interactive design (gaming simple or complexed)
--Client/Server applications (chat rooms, MUDS etc...)
--Online interaction (same as #1 with a little #2 thrown in)

I'm thinking it probably best to in that order. but... ADD!!!!!! i have a huge problem with starting projects and only have finishing them. I wish i had a group of ppl to both motivate me, keep me on track, and to share my studies and work load with. ah well.

Books i want to read but since a am a single processor unit i am limited to one at a time:
--Swords and Circuitry: a developer's guide to computer role playing games
--Programming Role Playing Games with DirectX
--Programming MUDS with C++

oh my. all 3 good books. I've read 3rd one twice already but every time i read it i leanr more stuff and this time i am taking notes as if it was a class. Especially with the client/server aspect of the book. Very good stuff.

The 2nd book is really neat. Tells you everything you need to know about the programming aspect of RPG's (even non-programming stuff like stages of developement and marketing ideas. very nice) even has large sections on both 2D and 3D designing, programming, and implimentation, as well as if i am not mistaken online RPG's, which makes me wet in the pants. But it's a 1000 page book. which is over twice the length of the first two. very much a turn-off.

Finally the 1st book is a recent acquisition that i got out of the bargain shelf at BaM (btw all these books are not very recent, infact the 1st were published about the same time as EQ just came out)and this book was a recommended read for the second (but not a required piece.) I like this book because it has nothing to do with programming (i like to program so that's not why i like it), but talks about the design implementations such as target audiences, history of RPGs, pitching the ideas to your compony, various ways of handing aspects of a game (such as saving progress), and a whole lot more. I like discussing design ideas, it makes me smile, but like i said it's not a necessary read.

oohh so many books that all are wanting my attention. How do i choose?


Btw, i am hardcore serious about this stuff now. I've been off the Warcrack for a week now. And I am not even suffering from withdrawals. I like all the free time I have now. Feeling bored has never felt so good.